Cong, BJP eyeing poll position in western Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: The Congress and the BJP on Sunday stepped up their attack against the ruling BJD as campaigning for the November 22 elections to 20 urban local bodies in western Odisha reached a feverish pitch.
Amid hectic campaigning, state Congress president Jayadev Jena accused the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD of being 'anti-western Odisha' and said, "The Congress will secure unexpected victory in the ensuing polls."
Jena, who has campaigned in eight poll-bound towns, said he plans to cover the rest by November 20."Majority of our MLAs are from western Odisha. We look forward to a better show this time," he said.
"I have campaigned in more than half a dozen urban local bodies. The feedback and response are overwhelming. We have a feeling that the Congress will do very well," he added.
Both the Congress and the BJP had put up a dismal show in the first phase of civic polls in September, with the regional party winning nearly 50 of the 66 civic bodies were polls were held. Elections in western Odisha had then been postponed due to opposition from lawyers and politicians, demanding establishment of an Orissa high court bench in the western parts of the state.
Both the opposition parties are optimistic of an improved performance in the November 22 elections. Unlike the coastal belt, in western Odisha both the parties have a better presence, their leaders said. While the Congress has fielded 259 candidates, the BJP has put up 269 nominees. Polls will be held for 306 wards.
The BJP state president K V Singhdeo said, "Initially we thought to give the polls a miss supporting the lawyers demand for a HC bench. But we did not want BJD to have a cakewalk. Though we are confident of a good show, we are worried about money and muscle power of the ruling party."
The BJD vice-president Damodar Rout dismissed the opposition version. "The ruling party always has an advantage in municipal elections. It is the development works and able leadership of Naveen Patnaik that would help BJD sweep the polls," he added.